2. WHY IS
CONTENT
MARKETING
IMPORTANT?
B O O S T S C O N V E R S I O N S
B U I L D S B R A N D A W A R E N E S S
C O S T - E F F E C T I V E
I N C R E A S E S C O S T U M E R S ' L O Y A L T Y
(Baker, 2021)
3. BLOG
written by experts, up-to-date and
helpful (fig. 1)
posted consistently and shared via
social media (fig. 2)
contain external links and CTAs
(example: Murdock, 2021)
It is a powerful type of content that
allows you to educate your target
audience and generate more leads
(HubSpot, n.d.).
Lonely Planet is a great example to
follow for blogging best practice. The
articles are:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
4. videos are included in the website
home page as well as shared on social
media platforms (see link)
they have great quality and an
appropriate length (short videos are
preferred)
they are informative and pertinent with
their area of expertise
new videos are released regularly
The example chosen for video content best
practice is from Marriott Bonvoy
Traveller:
VIDEO CONTENT
It is estimated that videos are shared 1200% more than text and image posts combined.
Incorporate them in websites or emails, improves click-through rates and conversion rates
(Patel, n.d.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8toyIgW30mw
Fig. 3
5. LIVE CONTENT
Fig. 4
Live content is one of the biggest trend
at the moment. It is extremely
engaging as it connects you directly
with your audience and increases your
audience reach (Restream, 2020).
choose the right tool - Trip.com uses Facebook Live and YouTube Live
promote the live content in advance on social media or your website
Include CTAs to encourage viewers to make a purchase, visit your website or subscribe to a
newsletter
The campaign was huge success (Trip.com Group, 2020) and here are the best practices you
can learn from it:
For example, since 2020 Trip.com has
launched "LIVE for Trip" (Fig. 4), a
campaign to boost again the travel
industry after the pandemic.
6. EMAIL NEWSLETTER
email has a catching subject line (Fig. 5)
simple but quality design (Fig. 6)
clear CTAs (Fig. 6)
the content is informative and relevant
limited emails - once/twice a month
it's easy to unsubscribe
Email marketing is ranked as the most
effective marketing channel , even more than
social media (Dormer, 2021). So, it's essential
to prepare quality content for this channel.
World Nomads has opted for an email
newsletter for its subscribers. It's a really good
example and here is why:
(Mineo, 2019)
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
7. PICTURES AND IMAGES
Using various quality pictures and images is very important to grab visitors' attention and
communicate your product/service (Seward, 2015).
Fig. 7
it uses high quality and meaningful
pictures both on the website and social
media pages (example
the website homepage contains
colourful and attractive pictures
it uses graphic icons for better usability
(fig.7 and 8)
each webpage has numerous and
different pictures
Lonely Planet knows it well, and here is
why:
Fig. 8
8. PODCAST
welcome and send-off
phrases
a familiar intro in each
episode
a consistent publishing
schedule
great quality audio
an optimal length of 15
to 30 minutes
it is promoted on social
media
(Land, n.d)
Podcasts are definitely getting more and more popular - in
2020 over 155 million people listened to a podcast every week
(Ben, 2021)
Taking again Marriott Bonvoy Traveler (Fig. 9 and 10) as an
example, a good podcast has:
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
9. there is a clear CTAs that takes the visitor
to the landing page where their details will
be captured
the content is varied and useful, and, as for
the phrasebooks, extremely original
guides are in the right format (PDF in this
case)
Offering valuable free resources is a great way
to raise awareness of your service and
generate new leads (Hurley, 2020).
World Nomads offers free destination guides
and travel phrasebook apps (Fig. 11 and 12).
These examples are good because:
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
FREE RESOURCES
10. INTERACTIVE CONTENT
This content is usually more suitable for social media platforms, where users are more active and
looking for interactions. Examples can be quizzes, surveys, direct questions (EZMarketing, 2019).
it is simple and
engaging
has a friendly tone
meaningful
it is posted daily and
on different platforms
(Fig. 13 and 14)
Taking Lonely Planet as
an example, here are the
best practices for
interactive content:
Fig. 13 Fig. 14
11. PAID AD CONTENT
it is targeted to a specific audience
there is a clear CTA that takes the
visitor to their social media page
has a quality image that stands out and
captures the attention
has a short and catchy caption
Paid ads help you to promote your
product/service on varied platforms and to
reach a broader audience (Bump, 2019)
Skyhook's Facebook sponsored content
(fig. 15) is a good example because:
Fig. 15
12. CUSTOMERS' EXPERIENCE
AND REVIEWS
clear rating and review indicators (Fig. 17)
not leave out negative reviews (Fig. 16)
users can filter by customer type
collects reviews via post-purchase emails
According to a Pew Research, most people
consult customer reviews before making a
purchase (Baer, 2020). Incorporating these
reviews in your content strategy can help to
build loyalty in your brand and convert visitors
into customers.
The best practise example is from Trip.com:
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
13. REFERENCES
Baer, J. (2019) “Customer Reviews Are The New Content Marketing”, Convince&Convert.
Available at: https://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/customer-reviews-are-
the-new-content-marketing/ [accessed 7 Nov 2021]
Baker, K. (2021) "The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing in 2021", HubSpot. Available at:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/content
marketing?tstamp=894152935a8398096a8f903d1ffc5095c44b0d1e [accessed 10 Oct 2021]
Ben (2021) "Why are Podcasts so Popular in 2021?", Brandastic. Available
at:https://brandastic.com/blog/why-are-podcasts-so-popular/ [accessed 14 Oct 2021]
Bump, P. (2019) “The Ultimate Guide to Sponsored Content”, HubSpot. Available at:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/sponsored-content-that-doesnt-suck [accessed 5 Nov
2021]
14. Dormer, L. (2021) "Email marketing trends 2021 – 5 trends to watch", Smart Insight. Available at:
https://www.smartinsights.com/email-marketing/email-marketing-trends-2021-5-trends-to-
watch/ [accessed 27 Oct 2021]
EZMarketing Team (2019) "Best Practices for Awesome Social Media Content", EZMarketing.
Available at: https://blog.ezmarketing.com/best-practices-for-awesome-social-media-
content [accessed 17 Oct 2021]
Hurley, S. (2020) "26 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your First Ebook" Optinmonster. Available
at: https://optinmonster.com/mistakes-to-avoid-when-writing-your-first-ebook/ [accessed 17
Oct 2021]
Land, C. (n.d.) "Podcasting Best Practices Guide 2021 – 23 tips to implement NOW", Improve
Podcast. Available at: https://improvepodcast.com/podcasting-best-practices-guide-23-tips-
to-implement-now/ [accessed 14 Oct 2021]
Mineo, G. (2019) "How to Create an Email Newsletter People Actually Read", HubSpot.
Available at: "https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/guide-creating-email-newsletters-ht"
[accessed 27 Oct 2021]
15. Murdock, A (2021) "When is the best time to visit US and Canada's national parks?", Lonely
Planet. Available at: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/when-is-the-best-time-to-visit-us-
and-canadas-national-parks [accessed 11 Oct 2021]
Patel, N. (n.d.) "How to Get Started with Video Marketing", NeilPatel. Available at:
https://neilpatel.com/blog/video-marketing/ [accessed 12 Oct 2021]
Restream (2020) "Why live streaming should be your focus in 2021 with Neil Patel", Restream
Blog. Available at: https://restream.io/blog/importance-of-live-streaming-in-2021-with-neil-
patel/ [accessed 25 Oct 2021]
Seward, S. (2015) “7 Best Practices for Using Imagery on Your Website”, Trew Marketing.
Available at: https://www.trewmarketing.com/smartmarketingblog/smartmarketingblog/web-
design-and-development/imagery-seo-best-practices/ [accessed 14 Nov 2021]
Trip.com Group (2020) "Trip.com LIVE series revitalizes regional markets, boosting global travel
recovery" Trip.com News. Available at: https://www.trip.com/newsroom/trip-com-live-series-
revitalizes-regional-markets-boosting-travel-recovery/ [accessed 25 Oct 2021]
16. Front Page Figure, Thought Catalog (2017) No name, Unsplash [online] Available at:
https://unsplash.com/photos/505eectW54k [accessed 14 Nov 2021]
Fig. 1, Lonely Planet (2021) Latest News [online]. Available at:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/england-latest-covid-travel-rules [accessed 10 Oct
2021]
Fig. 2 and 13, Facebook (2021) Lonely Planet Official Page [online]. Available at:
https://www.facebook.com/lonelyplanet [accessed 10 Oct 2021]
Fig. 3, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler (2021) Home Page [online]. Available at:
https://traveler.marriott.com/ [accessed 12 Oct 2021]
Fig. 4, Trip.com Singapore (2021), Home Page [online]. Available at: https://sg.trip.com/
[accessed 25 Oct 2021]
FIGURES
17. Fig. 5 and 6, Personal Gmail account (2021) World Nomads email newsletter [online] [accessed
27 Oct 2021]
Fig. 7 and 8, Lonely Planet (2021) Homepage [online]. Available at:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ [accessed 27 Oct 2021]
Fig. 9, Facebook (n.d.) Marriott Bonvoy Traveller Official Page [online]. Available at:
https://www.facebook.com/mbonvoytraveler [accessed 29 Oct 2021]
Fig. 10, Marriott Bonvoy Traveller (n.d.) Podcast Section [online]. Available at:
https://traveler.marriott.com/podcasts/ [accessed 29 Oct 2021]
Fig. 11 and 12, World Nomads (n.d.) Explore Section [online]. Available at:
https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/guides [accessed 30 Oct 2021]
Fig. 14, Twitter (n.d.) Lonely Planet Official Account [online]. Available at:
https://twitter.com/lonelyplanet [accessed 30 Oct 2021]
18. Fig. 15, Facebook (2021) Screenshot of a paid ad [online] [taken 15 Nov 2021]
Fig. 16 and 17, Trip.com (2021) Hotels Section, Leman Locke London Reviews [online] Available at:
https://uk.trip.com/hotels/london-hotel-detail-6148022?checkin=2021-11-14&checkout=2021-11-
15&adult=1&crn=1 [accessed 8 Nov. 2021]
